


Like father like son

by ObsidianX (tlanon)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Incomplete, abandoned, will never be finished, written during the great who is ash's dad debates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-04-19
Updated: 2001-04-19
Packaged: 2019-11-07 15:31:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17963213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tlanon/pseuds/ObsidianX
Summary: A rewrite of an older fic I'd done during the first of the US fandom's debates about who was Ash's dad. Long before the anime proved it couldn't be Lance. in this fic it was lance.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First comments are screened and will never be read so please don't leave any. I don't even log into this account except when I'm adding older works simply so anyone who may be interested in them may read them.
> 
> I do not edit these fics this is simply archiving so all original mistakes are preserved Be Warned.
> 
> This fic has been backdated as close to its original publication date as I can get.

Pokemon: Like Father Like Son

Prologue: Good-byes and A Greeting.

Lance opened his eyes as he heard a soft sniffling sound. "Delia are you okay?" he asked knowing she wasn't he could feel her tears on his chest. He waited as she tried to calm herself finally she looked up at him. ["She's Beautiful."] he thought as always he wondered why he always thought that the morning after they made love. ["I won't think it again."] that thought chilled him and once again he nearly decided not to leave.

"I just don't want you to go." she said finally as she looked into his blue eyes slightly obscured by his spiky light brown hair. She knew as she looked in his eyes that he wouldn't stay no matter what she said he wouldn't stay.

"I can't I have to do this." he said deciding that the peaceful moment was over he got up and walked toward the bathroom. "I'm going take a shower since when I'm on the road I may not have many chances." he said stopping to look at her. "Want to join me for old times sake?" he asked.

"I don't think so." Delia said grimly and turned to look out the hotel window. Eventually she heard the shower start running and she got up and dressed. "Maybe I should go before he gets out?" she asked herself and found she didn't want to leave she wanted him to stay but if he won't she wanted to know why.

Lance emerged from the bathroom toweling his hair before beginning to get dressed. As he was zipping up his pants he heard Delia ask softly "Why can't you stay?" He turned to look at her she was standing by the door fully dressed.

"I just have to be the best." Lance sighed "I know that doesn't make sense to you but you've never been made to feel inferior and laughed at for your dreams." He looked at her and saw she wasn't satisfied. "I can't let them be right those rich bastards who told me I'd never be the best."

"You Care more about your dream and proving your manliness than me." she said angrily as she opened the door and stormed out slamming it shut behind her. Delia Ketchum ran threw the dirty corridors of the hotel and out the front door. She kept running till she reached her front steps then sit down and began to cry.

Lance almost went after her but he knew if he did he'd never fulfill his dream. "I'm sad to say you were right." he said sadly. Turning to the mirror he went threw the motions of getting ready for his trip.

Sometime later as he walked down the road heading away from Charonda Town Lance reached up and wiped away the last of his tears. He decided the best way to deal with this was to put it behind him and move on.

Some Time Later Delia Ketchum began to throw up in the mornings. Her mother had a fear of what that might mean but she decided to just carry her daughter to the doctor and have definitive proof of her suspicions.

"Mrs. Ketchum you were right your daughter is pregnant." The Doctor said he noticed the young girl seemed withdrawn. Mrs. Ketchum thanked the doctor and then told her Daughter to wait in the car while she paid the bill.

"Your father is not going to like this do you know who the father is?" Mrs. Ketchum asked "If so we are going to have to call the young man and make him take responsibility for his actions."

"I'm not telling you his name it'll just make things worse." Delia said as she glanced over at her mother to gage her reaction. When her mother didn't say anything she asked "Mom?"

"Your Father is not going to like this." Mrs. Ketchum said to her daughter sadly she knew her daughter was stubborn enough that if she tried to push her daughter would become even more obstinate about not revealing the father.

Her mothers words were strangely not surprisingly prophetic. Delia sat quietly while her father said a string of swear words she rarely heard him utter. "Who is the bastard that did this to you?" he asked as he finally seemed to notice her presence.

"I'm not going to say." she said meekly and winced as he flew off the handle into another long tirade of swear words "It would just make things worse." she said hoping he would back down like her mother.

"Go to you room and don't come back down till you are ready to tell us." her father yelled darkly. "Well Get." he said as she hesitated. She retreated to her room and laid down on the bed and began to cry.

"Maybe I should tell them?" she said to herself between sobs. "After all Lance will have to come back and we can get married." but she knew she wouldn't she knew it would ruin both their lives Lance would hate her and their child for it.

"I can't tell them and Daddy will never forgive me for not telling them." she began to cry harder then she stopped and began to pack her belongings. "I can't stay here." she said to herself.

Several Months later in a hospital in Viridian. Delia Ketchum was handed a baby boy by the nurse. "Well little one I guess we will have to find a nice quiet place where we can live." she said to the baby.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Revelations

Lance set in his office and scowled as he read the name that had caught his attention again. "Betty could you get me the information on a trainer who competed in the league?" He asked of his personal assistant via the intercom.

"Sir you know your not allowed to look at any files before your match with the trainers." She said calmly wondering why her boss was asking her for something he knew was very much against the rules.

"He's already been eliminated I don't have to face him I just need to see his file." He said calmly. "As far as I know once they have been eliminated from competition that the rules don't apply right?"

She thought about it and realized he was right. "Yes sir if you'll give me his name I'll pull up his records provided he has been eliminated." She wondered why her boss was taking an interest in a trainer who didn't make it to the Elite Four Challenge.

"His name is Ash Ketchum I need as much information as you can get on him." He said the name as calmly as he could images of a strikingly beautiful woman with red hair. If Betty heard anything in his voice she didn't acknowledge it.

"Okay boss but it'll take me an hour or so to clear everything with the officials I don't want you getting in trouble on account of me not following proper procedure." She heard his annoyed groan.

"Fine I'll go out for a walk I'll be back in one hour and I expect you'll have the information waiting for me." He knew he shouldn't be impatient it was probably just a coincidence but he still wanted to know.

Betty watched her boss leave locking his office and giving her a brief nod as she chirped an affirmative that she's have it when he got back. 'It will only take me thirty minutes.' she thought with a smile but one listen her teachers had drilled into her was double the time when you give them an estimate it makes you look like a miracle worker. 'It's odd that I didn't know my teacher was a Trekkie till I heard that line on an episode.'

Lance shook his head as he glanced outside at the arena where the finals were being held. "Think there will be any that will make it to you this year?" a soft voice said behind him. He turned to glance at the mousy brown haired woman who smiled at him as light glared off her glasses hiding her eyes.

"No I don't." Lance said turning to look out the window again. "And I'm kind of glad I'm not much in the mood to battle anyone."

Lorelie placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and frowned he was unusually tense. "What's the matter Lance?" She asked calmly remember how awkward she had felt when she first joined the Elite four she was still nervous around Bruno and Agatha but not Lance.

"It's nothing or at least I hope it's nothing." He said calmly and then shrugging her hand off his shoulder he began to walk away. "I'll see you later I need to be alone for awhile." Lorelie watched him go with a concerned look plastered on her face.

He arrived a few minutes early but as always Better handed him the file before he even asked. "Hold all my calls please." He said and when she nodded he headed into his office locking the door behind him.

He set down in the mostly bare office having never been one to collect much personal stuff. "Well Lets see if I'm right." He opened the file and nearly dropped it when he saw the mothers name next to an empty blank where the father's name should be. "Okay that doesn't mean he's mine just because he's the right age." He told himself weakly but even as he said it he knew it was a lie. A quick mental calculation told him the boy had been born only 8 months after he left.

Delia was waiting for a call from Ash she and the professor having arrived back from the Pokemon league ahead of the others to plan a celebretory party for her son. She took a sip of her tea and began to hum when the phone rang and she happily answered it. Delia froze as someone she never expected to hear from again appeared. "Lance." she gasped and spilt the tea she had been drinking on the floor.

"Hello Delia just one question Is the boy mine?" He asked calmly watching with mild concern as Delia has to sit down to keep from falling over. "Well?" he asked trying to keep the impatience out of his voice.

"Yes, he is." Delia said finally. "How did you find out about him?" She asked hoping he hadn't said anything to Ash. She watched his face as an emotion that was clearly anger passed over it.

"I saw his name and decided to see if he was kin to you." Lance lied pretending he hadn't actually been afraid the boy was his son. "Then I noticed he was your son and the age and his birthday looked to be right."

Delia nodded and then asked the question she feared she'd have to ask one day. "So what now are you going to come meet your son or pretend like nothing ever happened?" She watched him and sighed 'He always was unreadable when he was deep in thought.' She quickly lost her train of thought when he began to speak.

"I don't know I'll be there in a few days as soon as I can leave here don't say anything to him till I decide rather to just go ahead and meet him or..." Lance trailed off letting his silence speak for itself.

Delia nodded "I won't." with that she curtly hung up the phone. She began to clean up the spilt tea when the phone rang again. She answer it and quickly pasted on a happy mask when it turned out to be her son.

Lance sighed and hefted his bag as he approached the house. He was about to turn back when he saw out of the corner of his eye the boy and two others. 'Interesting Hairstyle.' He thought glancing at the girl both she and the spiky haired boy looked familiar. "Hello is Delia here?" He asked shaking them out of some argument.

"Yeah she's inside." Ash said turning and then he froze he knew he was staring slack jawed and open mouthed but he couldn't believe it. "Your Lance of the Elite four." He said in shock and then ran over and began begging him for an autograph.

Misty sighed as she watched Ash and Brock fawning over the guy like he was some great hero. "Ash Brock get real if he was really a famous member of the elite four why would he be here?"

"To See me, Hello Lance." Delia said calmly from the door. "Come inside all of you." With that she headed inside and asked Mr. Mimie to fix some tea for her and Lance.

Lance followed Delia in with the redhead staring at him in shock and the two boys continuing to talk about how much they idolized him. 'Now I remember why I stopped going to conventions.'

Delia took one look at them all and said "Ash take your friends up to your room and stay there till I come get you Lance and I need to talk privately about some things." Ash didn't object and just grabbed Misty and Brock and headed up the stairs with them.

"What's the deal Ash I thought You mom would have to force you out?" Misty asked surprised that Ash headed upstairs without protest.

"Mom's worried about something or she would have known to send us outside." Ash smiled "She forgot about the vent in my closet that you can hear any conversation downstairs from."

"So Lance are you going to tell him." Delia asked calmly she was trying to read him and once again cursed the fact he seemed completely closed off. "Are you even going to answer me are you going to tell Ash that he's your son."

Ash Misty and Brock exchanged shocked looks and immediately put their heads back down near the vent to continue listening. Despite how cramped it was they were all straining to listen.

Lance shrugged "I don't even know why I came here it's not like I want a kid." Delia frowned at that. "Maybe it would be better if I just left." He began to turn when he felt her hand fall on his shoulder she turned him to face her and slapped him. "What was that for?" he said rubbing the sore spot on his face.

"Your staying and facing Ash." She said darkly. "I'm not going to lie to him about why you were here so be a man and face your son." She said darkly the anger at him for leaving had come back in recent days even her new friend Mr. Mimie hadn't lightened her mood.

Lance stared at her in shock he was trying to think of something so say when he heard the girl upstairs yell for Ash to stop. He turned to see the boy run past him and out the front door clutching his pikachu to his chest. He wasn't surprised when the Red haired girl with the weirdo hair style shot past him as well.

Brock came down and glanced at the open door. "Ash was listening threw a vent." He offered to the confused looking adults. "He didn't take what he heard well." Delia was out the door as soon as he said that followed by the Mr. Mimie. Brock glanced nervously at Lance but found the older man to be unreadable.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's where things ended never to be finished.


End file.
